Store-front construction



Se t. 30, 1930.

c. REUTER STORE FRONT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1929 i psnua fiiifenior: 176727; Cfeu fer:

Patented Sept. 30,1930

HE RY c. RENTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS sronEmno r coNs'rnUc'rIoN Applieation filed June 14,

This invention relates towindow frame or store front constructions, preferably having afacing of bronze and a-backing of wood or other suitable material. The invention may also be embodied in showcases and the like.

One object of the invention is to produce anattractive, strong and durable, but rela- V tively inexpensive construction.

Another ob ect1 s to produce a construction of the character described,wherein the outwardly facing members. :or pane=retaining strips of bronze are so shaped that they are a particularly Well adapted to receive anornamental design on their outer surfaces. This 16 is facilitated by arranging. the co-operating inner and outer paneengaging members in such manner. that a relatively flat strip of bronze may be used for the outwardly facing member; as distinguished from the angularly shaped retaining strips of the prior art,

of. which my Patent No.1,699,021 is an example. Another object of the invention is to provide ventilating means which afford op portunity for circulation of air to prevent frosting and gathering of moisture 'onthe window pane. The ventilatingmeans herein disclosed are eflicient and so arranged that the pleasing appearance of the window frame 3 is not marred thereby.

"In the drawings: j e

1 Figure 1 i'sfa' fragmentary view, in elevation, showing a corner of a window and frame embodying my inve'ntion. Y Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the construction, showing a conventional store front window and above it a'transom window.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. p Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the structure, arranged to show notonly a straight wallfembodying the invention, but also a right angle corner and other angles which may occur in store front constructions. In that embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, 5 indicates the masonry or other wall having an opening in which a window pane or'window panes and frame work therefor areto be positioned. The window pane 6 is supported by a woodenrstrip or 1929. Serial No. 370,844.

backing 7which is secured to the support 5 inwardly of the front surface of said wall 5. This strip .7 is cut away in its upper, front portion, to form a longitudinally extending shoulder 8, spaced, from the pane-6, for a purpose to be described. 1

Wooden strips 9 are providedt o extend about the sideand top margins of the pane 6, and these strips 9 are cut away to form the angularsurfaces 10 and 11, oneor both, of which may be provided with a longitudinal "groove, such as shown inV-form on the surface 11. H p

Bronze strips 12 form the outer members of the frame and are securedto the wooden strips 7 and9 "byscrews 13. These strips12 of bronze are relatively flat and may be ornamentedontheir outer surfaces as indicated,by a rolling process. The innersurfaces'are relatively flat eXcepting'near the longitudinal edges, where longitudinally extending grooves 14: are provided. Q When the margins of the pane 6 are in place between the inner surfaces of the bronze strips 12 and the surfaces 11 of the wooden backing strips 9, there will be a smallspace between these parts, which is filled with putty15to hold the pane 6 securely in place. The grooves la'and they-grooves in the sur faces llprovide locksfor the putty 15;

Reverting now to the shoulder 8 on the wooden strip" 7 which forms the lower sup port for the pane 6,-said shoulder is spaced from the rear surface of the pane 6 to provide roomffor ventilating means and moisture drains. Saidmeans include a long,-'relative ly narrow and thin piece of metal, bent longi= tudinallyto form an angle bar, having a ver-.

tically disposed front wall 16, rearwardly ext-ending, horizontal wall 17 and a second vertical wall, located inwardly'of the first, as indicated at 18, a forwardly and downwardly inclined wall 19, and a vertical paneengaging wall 20, all integral with each other. i

' This angle bar is of'a length equal to the 9 width of the pane 6, andis positioned to have the front wall 16 between the bronze strip 12 and the backing 7 and the walls 17 and 18 resting against the cut away surfaces of the backing 7 and shoulder 8,

At intervals, say about one foot apart, the

' wooden strip 7 is cut away in its front porstrip 7, and form vertical passageways 21 which communicate with the atmosphere through slots 22 in bronze strip 12. The slots 22, are cut in the strip 12 nearits lower,- longitudinal margin, oneslot registering with each passageway 21. The inclined wall 19 of the angle bar is apertured as indicated at 23, and therefore, air may pass through the slot 22 upwardly through the passageway 21 and through the apertures 23 to ventilate the pane 6. Any moisture which. may settle in the trough formed by the walls 19 and of the angle bar will be drained by passing downwardly and outwardly through the passageway 21 and slot 22. The rubber cushions 24 betweenthe pane 6 and wooden strip 7 donot interfere with the passage of air or moisture because they are spaced apart from each other'and are not placed over the ends of any of. the passageways 21;

It will be understood that the appearance .of the structure is improved by having the ventilating and drain-opening 22 as near to the loweredge of the strip 12 as possible, and close to the'masonry or other support 5, so as not to mar the appearance of the bronze 12, and therefore the passageway 21 is led to the slot in the lower longitudinal margin of the ip 2- 1 The upper pane 25 is similar to the pane 6 although usually smaller in area. It is mounted in a combination wood and bronze frame with ventilator means in that part which extends along the lower margin of the pane 25,, just like that described in connection with the pane 6 except that the passageways 21 are eliminated. In arranging ventilation for the upper pane25, the slots correspending to :the slots; 22 are placed in that ron estrip .2 b t e th ppe d lower Pa es, at the p i t i t d 6- he angleber s d n o n c ion t e p therefore, difiers from the angle bar used for the pane 6 in that it is unnecessary to bend he Wel of he fo mer because P s way 21 is required. The air path, therefore,

is frqmthe slot 2 6 under the lower edge of the. P31 25, etween wall li and 19ofthe eagl b r, a do hre gh he ap rt r 23 f the latter; whereas in the frame construction r he p e l1e a r path i from slot 2, passageway 21, beneath loweredge of pane 6,

, between walls 17 and 19 of the angle bar, and

than t ugh ap rt r 2 In Figure 4, a straight wall store front and various kinds of angular walls are shown in or zontal sec i n; su h a a ight ng ner 27, and obtuse angles 28 and The bronze facing strips are all similarin thatthey are substantially parallel with the pane with which they co-operate and are substantially flat except near the margins where the putty lock-grooves 14 are formed. The wooden backing strips may be of any desired thickness and shape, They may be integral strips of wood cut away as indicated at 10 and 11 on Figure 2 or two pieces may be used as shown in the upper strip 9 above the window pane 25 in Figure 2.

Changes in details of construction may be made wlthtwutdeparting from the scope of my invention,

I claim as my invention 1. In store front constructions, a window frame including ventilating means, compris,

ing a support extending across the frame, an outwardly facing, slotted, pane-retaining strip secured to the support and extending above the upper surface of the support, an angular bar in which a portion intermediate its longitudinal side margins is a wall. horizontally disposed and resting on said support, and having a wall depending from the forward margin of thehorizontal wall lo cated. between'the retaining strip'ancl support, a wallextendingupwardly of the rear margin of the horizontal wall and then inclined downwardly and forwardly to form a'chamber between said walls and the horizontal wall, said inclined wall terminating in a pane-engaging surface, the inclined wall being apertured, and ,the wall depending from's'aid horizontal wallbeing bent in wardly to. provide passageways extending from the slots in the retaining strip to the apertures of the angular bar.

2. In store front constructions and'the like, a pane-receiving frame including outwardly facing pane retainingmembers of relatively thin metal, backing members positioned against the rear surfaces of the retaining members and secured thereto, a shoulder on each backing member extending longitudinally thereof and spaced from said rear sur faces of the retaining members to form a recess slightly greater in width. than the thickness of the pane to be associated there,-

with, the retaining strip constituting the the frame, and surrounding the window opening, non-metallic backing members approximately asrwide as said metal strips, se-

cured tothe metal strips, said backing members being. cut away longitudinally at their window edges adjacent the metal strips to form a pane-receiving recess between the metal strips and backing members, the reoess wall opposite the inner surface of said metal strip being parallel to the strip and spaced therefrom a distance slightly more than the thickness of the pane to be held by the frame.

4. In store front constructions andthe like,

a pane receiving frame including outwardly facing, substantially flat metal strips, ex

vtending parallel with the pane to be held in the frame, and surrounding the Window opening, nonmetallic backing members ap proximately as wide as sald metal strips,

secured to the metal strips, said backing members being cut away longitudinally at their Window edges adj acent the metal strips to form a pane-receiving recess between the metal strips and backing members, the recess wall opposite the inner surface of said metal strip being parallel to the strip and spaced therefrom a distance slightly more than the thickness of the pane to be held by the frame, and said opposite proximate recess Walls being grooved longitudinally.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix my'signature, this 8th day of June, 1929; V

' HENRY REUTER. 

